The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
A typical automatic transmission employs a hydraulic fluid, such as an oil, to provide lubrication to various transmission components, to provide cooling, and to actuate valves, solenoids, and/or pistons within a hydraulic control system. Various types of hydraulic fluids or oils have specific properties tailored to their intended use. For example, engine oils are intended to be employed in an engine of a motor vehicle while transmission oils are intended to be employed in the transmission of the motor vehicle. These transmission oils are compatible with the components of the transmission and allow the transmission to operate as intended.
However, it is possible that a hydraulic fluid not specified by the transmission may be employed by an operator of the motor vehicle or a service technician. If a hydraulic fluid that is not intended to be used by the transmission is employed, the transmission components may wear more quickly, shift quality can degrade, and the hydraulic fluid life can degrade more quickly than expected. Accordingly, there is room in the art for a system integrated in the motor vehicle that determines if a hydraulic fluid is being employed by the transmission that is not compatible with the transmission.